HL Deb 05 February 1981 vol 416 cc1277-8

3.9 p.m.

Lord Wells-Pestell

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is true that they have issued a confidential circular through the DHSS warning of the possible use of servicemen in the event of strikes by health service workers.

The Minister of State, Department of Education and Science (Baroness Young)

My Lords, plans to maintain essential, life-saving services in the National Health Service are of long standing and are reviewed from time to time. The recent unauthorised disclosure to the press of material concerned the latest review of certain plans, details of which must, of course, remain confidential.

Lord Wells-Pestell

My Lords, is the noble Baroness correct when she says that plans—implying those to which I make reference—are of long standing? Is it not true that quite recently the Department of Health and Social Security issued three plans—a plan known as Plan Lionel, a Plan Concord, and a Plan Bittern—dealing with the use of service personnel in the event of difficulties? May I also ask the noble Baroness what has happened to the code of practice which the last Government introduced and got agreed; and does this mean that the Government have decided, in the event of a dispute, to abandon consultation and replace it with confrontation?

Baroness Young

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Wells-Pestell, is not entirely accurate in what he says, for the timing of the recent review of contingency planning is in fact entirely fortuitous. Work on it started as long ago as 1979, following upon the industrial action in the early part of that year, and the planning is continuing. It would not be proper for me to comment on the details, but this is not a new situation.

Lord Wells-Pestell

But, my Lords, the noble Baroness will agree that it is a new situation in the sense that the documents to which I am referring have come into being since the Government came into power in May 1979?

Baroness Young

My Lords, the letter to which the noble Lord refers is, of course, new, but the contingency planning has been going on since the former Administration, of which he was a member, was in office, and in principle there is nothing new in what is happening now.

Lord Wells-Pestell

My Lords, may I ask the noble Baroness, as she has implied that there has in fact been a leak of a confidential circular, whether the circular goes on to say: The security of these documents is paramount. You are in possession of military plans which are highly sensitive. Any disclosure of information contained in these plans would be extremely damaging to the Government's industrial relations policy".

Baroness Young

My Lords, I am not prepared to comment on what might or might not be in a confidential letter, but may I say categorically that the use of servicemen is a serious matter, and their deployment must remain under ministerial control. Only in the event that health authorities could not maintain essential services through any other means, and when all other means of settling an industrial dispute had been tried and had failed, would troops be used as a final resort; and f might remind the noble Lord that, very unfortunately, they had to be used in the winter of 1979, as he will recall.